She counted about twenty of them, more than Chase had been expecting, and they fanned out in a rough semicircle facing the operating table.
“Well, here we are, ladies and gentlemen. Step right in, there’s room for everyone. This is our biggest operating room, designed to comfortably accommodate up to thirty visitors. Can you hear me in the back? Sir? Wave your hand if you can hear me. Good. Can you see me? Good. Now. I’d like to introduce you to one of our star faculty members and our auto-surgeon team leader, Dr. Rita Wu.”
As part of the prearranged routine she and Chase (well, Chase, mostly) had worked out, Rita waved to the group. She was grateful for her mask, which covered her mouth, so she didn’t have to muster a fake smile.
“Good morning!” she called out with an enthusiasm she was not experiencing. She felt like a tour guide addressing a high-school field trip. “Thank you all for being here today. Delores and I are excited to demonstrate the world’s first fully automated surgery.” She laid her hand on Delores’s cylindrical core, which was covered by a transparent, disposable sterile cover. “This is Delores. Delores, say hello.”
“Hello, Dr. Wu.” Delores’s stereophonic speakers were located on the central core, close to the panel that looked like a mouth.
“Delores, how are you feeling today?”
“I feel like a million dollars, thank you, Dr. Wu.”
“Which is almost how much she costs!” Montgomery added (right on cue), to much laughter.
God, Chase has them eating out of the palm of his hand.
“Delores, what kind of surgery will you be performing today?” Rita asked, staying on script.
“I will be performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, an operation in which the gallbladder is removed through small incisions in the abdomen.”
“Gallbladder removal is a very straightforward operation,” Chase said. “One of the first our surgical trainees are able to perform on their own.”
“What does the gallbladder do?” someone asked.
“It stores a digestive enzyme called bile. Bile is made in the liver and helps absorb fat. The gallbladder can be removed without any long-term consequences.”
“Are there any other operations you’ve been developing for the robot?” the hospital CEO asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact: a laparoscopic appendix removal. We’ve already written the software for it, and we’re currently searching for a suitable patient. Now. I’d next like to introduce you to Dr. Chow, our chief of anesthesiology, who will discuss a second system we’re testing today: a machine that automatically delivers anesthesia.”
Dr. Chow took a step forward, his hands clasped primly behind his back. “Thank you, Chase. In concert with our surgical colleagues, we’ve developed a robot for administering anesthesia medications. We’ve nicknamed it Morpheus, after the Greek god of dreams.” He placed his hand on a nondescript black-and-silver box the size and shape of a laser printer, sitting on a metal table a short distance from Mrs. Sanchez’s head. “This is Morpheus. I’m sorry to say Morpheus doesn’t talk! But Morpheus has an important job: to automate the job of the anesthesiologist.”
“In a way, replacing the anesthesiologist is even more straightforward than replacing the surgeon,” Chase said. “Anesthesiologists usually don’t have as much to do during operations as surgeons.”
“Hey!” Dr. Chow hammed it up by placing his hands on his hips. Also prearranged. By Chase, naturally.
“Don’t worry, Hank, you guys won’t be out of a job anytime soon!”
“That’s because we’re the ones who actually keep patients alive while my surgical colleagues here rearrange their insides! Seriously. Much of what we do as anesthesiologists depends on gathering information about the patient—temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels—and acting on it appropriately to ensure the patient remains comfortable, asleep, and safe throughout the surgery.”
Chow didn’t possess Chase’s easy command of an audience. But he’d always been a good lecturer: clear and articulate, capable of delivering complicated information.
Chow said, “Morpheus collects this information, interprets it, and automatically fine-tunes the levels of anesthesia medications the patient receives. We humans keep control over everything else, including putting the patient to sleep before the surgery.”
Chase nodded. “The concept behind Morpheus is the same as behind Delores: to automate routine portions of the operation.”
“Could these robots, working together, perform an operation entirely without people?” someone from the back asked. “Without any doctors?”
“In theory, yes,” Chase said. “All of the components are there. We just haven’t tested them together yet.”
“Autopilots on planes can automatically make corrections to prevent disasters,” a black woman standing in front said. “Are there safety features like that on your robots?”
“Yes, Ms. Grant,” Chase said. “Delores is programmed to recognize problems and take immediate and appropriate action without the need for direct human intervention.”